ONCE Local Singer/Songwriter Contest Winner Announced!

(Green Bay, WI) –The Weidner Center for the Performing Arts in partnership with the ARTgarage is proud to announce that the winner of the ONCE Singer/Songwriter contest is Lane Lee with the submission of his original song Runaway Train.

Lane Lee is from the small town of Suring, Wisconsin. He has a life-long passion for music and enjoys creating his own works. His mother is a music teacher, sparking his interest in music at a very young age. He continued to dig deeper into music and eventually decided to go to college for music education. Lane is currently completing his degree at UW- Green Bay by student teaching.

Local singer/songwriters were encouraged to submit one original song to participate in this contest. The submissions were judged by a panel of local music experts. The winning entrant receives complimentary tickets to see the musical ONCE on February 25 at the Weidner Center, participation at the showcase with the ARTgarage, and an opportunity to record their song at Rock Garden Studio.

A select group of artists will perform on February 20 from 4 – 9pm at the ARTgarage in the Singer/Songwriter Showcase. The show will be open to the public, with incentive to participate in other activities at the ARTgarage.

ONCE, winner of eight 2012 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is the celebrated new musical based on the Academy Award-winning film. It tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together. Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, ONCEis a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty… and unforgettable in every way.

The ARTgarage is located in The Cannery on Olde Main, a 100-year-old former cannery factory with Cream City brick walls, high wooden ceilings, a cracked and stained cement floor… the perfect setting for this exciting arts venue. Studio A, formerly the cannery’s loading dock, contains the Front Gallery, side galleries, artist studios and gift shop. Studio B is a multipurpose space which is home to classes, workshops, performances, meetings and special events. As part of the Olde Main Redevelopment District, the ARTgarage is helping to bring value back to the area along with many other businesses and private property owners who want to reclaim rather than demolish our city’s history. The ARTgarage is a welcoming neighbor to the diverse populations within our community and proudly displays “Everyone Welcome” on our front door. Other tenants of the Cannery complex include Flowerama and the NWTC Artisan & Business Center.